Never-Forget-Me
by softandhappy
Summary: The students experience care and affection from their typically distant Professor the only way he knew how: By expressing his love through the forget-me-not flower.
1. The Emperor, the King and the Sovereign

The moon had already risen at this time of night. Edelgard sighs while holding her lighter alight. She knew full well that balancing both her affairs for the Empire as well as her coursework for class would result in days where she'd stay up late. Even at a young age things were never simple or easy for the Adrestian heir. Looking back at it all, perhaps one could view it all as a sort of preparation for what life as the Empress could possibly be like for her. That translates all the way from her childhood to now, and Edelgard was feeling it especially now more than ever. Normally it was never this bad, at worst she manages to return to her room when neither the sun nor the moon was visible. At that time, a beautiful mixture between golden rays and inky shadows decorated with stars fill the sky like a bright painting. It was captivating beyond reason, so much so that Edelgard sometimes found herself simply staring at the sky in awe of its beauty.

_Strange_, she thinks to herself, _normally I'm not this poetic._

Now the moon was shining in its pale light high above her. It was a visible cue for her to go to sleep, although she wouldn't be surprised to find a stack of paperwork waiting in her room, possibly along with Hubert, which wouldn't be surprising in the least. As she wearily saunters towards the stairs leading up to the second floor of the dormitory, a flickering light catches her eye. Before she ascends, Edelgard quickly hides her lighter, drops down to the floor in a squat and hides behind one of the bushes at the entryway. Wanting not to make her presence known, she pulls out a foldable hand mirror and tries to look at the reflection, aiming the glass towards the light.

A figure holding a candle near the right of their waist slowly approached. No, that wasn't right, they didn't approach Edelgard. The light trails on past the branching path to the dorms, instead going inside the greenhouse. She scoffs in annoyance. As dark as it is now, trying to figure out the face of the mysterious individual through dim light as well as through a mirrored reflection was too difficult. However, that didn't mean she would leave it at that. A dark, unknown specter roaming in the night into the greenhouse is certainly a cause for alarm. Perhaps they were another who pose a threat to the monastery. It would be inexcusable for the soon-to-ascend Emperor to allow such a threat to occur.

Also, it would be best to rid this specter, or else Lysithea would become another Bernadetta and hide in her room for the rest of the year.

Edelgard, still crouching, swiftly and carefully walks down the path using the bush to guide her. Without torches alight, it was hard to even see the proper path-

"Ah!"

The lights inside the greenhouse suddenly turn on. It catches her off-guard. Why would a trespasser turn on the lights? It's so bright that anyone awake right now would see the bright rays seeping through the colored glass from far away. What was the gatekeeper doing right now? Worse of all, the doors were still open. Was this person trying to draw attention to themselves?

_Doesn't matter_, Edelgard thinks to herself, _what matters is that I'm the one who noticed. And that marks their downfall._

Edelgard unsheathes the dagger hidden underneath the cape draping her arm and prepares herself to apprehend the suspect. With refined movement, she dashes towards the door, pivots to reposition herself, then vaults at the-

"Wait!"

"Cover her mouth!"

"Mmph!"

Two other people pull her back, forcefully dragging her away from the door. Edelgard, while struggling, manages to jab her elbow into both of their chests. The two unknown abductors try to stifle their pained coughs as she points her dagger at them.

"Who are you?! I am the heir to the Adrestian Empire's crown, and you will-"

"Edelgard, please be quiet!" one of them softly begs.

"Y-Yeah, just hold on a minute!" the other whispers.

She lowers her dagger after seeing their faces against the light from the greenhouse. "Dimitri? Claude? What are you doing here? There's a suspicious individual inside the-"

They both shush her, panic plainly expressed on their faces. She was skeptical, but resigns to their order, wondering what antics Claude managed to pull Dimitri into.

Both men carefully walk back to the greenhouse entrance as she nonchalantly follows them from behind. Claude peeks his head in from behind the door while Dimitri surveys the area around him as if he was standing guard at the entrance. They both whisper nonsense to each other, mentioning strange names and codewords that sounded like incoherent gibberish. Edelgard just stands behind the two with arms crossed and a single eyebrow raised. After a few seconds, and after feeling a little angry because they didn't bother to explain anything to her, she also peaks into the greenhouse from behind Claude. Inside the intensely bright indoor garden, she saw the mysterious figure from earlier crouched down at the far corner. Squinting through the light, all she could really make out was the color of their hair.

Dark green, like many of the leaves around them.

"Is that the Professor?" she whispers to Claude. He nods.

"Dimitri and I have been tailing him since our classes ended. Seems like Teach is up to something there…"

"Wait, don't you both have paperwork from your respective homes to work on? Why did you waste your time following the professor? Surely he's not a man to do anything bad."

"At first we thought that as well," Dimitri whispers to her, "but a few suspicious rumors had begun circulating between the students of our houses."

"Rumors? About the Professor?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he's been doing _stuff_ throughout the day, and sometimes? It seems that _stuff_ he does involves mostly the female students every now and then." Claude mentions.

"... That does seem suspicious," Edelgard wonders, "but I hardly see why we should be tailing him like this."

"Oh lemme tell you," Claude smirks, "it seems that the _stuff_ he's been doing might be a little… promiscuous, so to say."

Edelgard flinches in surprise. _The professor? Partaking in… private, promiscuous-like activities with the students?_

"Why, just the other day, I had a conversation with Hilda about why I saw her awake late last night. Apparently, our Teach did something for her that made her '_feel good_'. And before I could ask her anything, she skipped away like it was nothing!"

Edelgard gasps.

"I overheard Ingrid talking to Sylvain during dinner. When Sylvain mentioned something about accidentally letting three of the girls he was seducing meet each other, Ingrid retorted by saying that he should be more '_loving_' like the Professor is. And when he asked her what that meant, her cheeks turned red, then she immediately got up and left the table," Dimitri adds.

Edelgard gasps again.

"Wait," she anxiously whispers, "I noticed Dorothea hadn't been flirting with the knights like she usually does, and she's been prancing around with a smile on her face the entire day. When I asked her about it, she told me about how the professor made her '_feel like a true woman_' earlier today…!"

Both men gasp.

She indeed thought it strange that her classmate would use such strange choice of wording, but if it's true that the Professor did something "promiscuous" to her, then…

"So here we are," Claude whispers out, "I'm stalking Teach while Dimitri watches my back so we don't get caught."

"It is truly strange," Dimitri says, "so far, no monastery personnel have even approached the greenhouse despite how bright it is in this time of night. Not even our normally attentive gatekeeper is bothering to come here. I saw him just take a peek at the greenhouse when the lights turned on, then he turned away and continued whistling to himself."

_Even the innocent, pure-hearted gatekeeper was a part of this scandal?!_

All her previous hesitations were dashed to microscopic bits. Their upstanding, respectful, yet odd at times professor was engaging in such acts with the students while monastery staff allowed such things to happen! Edelgard could not let this stand. "Why are we just watching him then?!" she whispers in frustration, "We need to uphold the morals of this monastery, and stop such, such… devious acts from taking place!"

"Well," Claude responds with uncertainty while twirling his hair, "we don't really have any proof yet. Right, Dimitri?"

The prince coughs. "R-Right. We trust our Professor, but just in case, we needed to gather, er, _witness_ evidence that he is committing such atrocities-"

"Evidence?!" Edelgard furiously interrupts, "I will not stand by as my fellow girls are being lusted after in such a manner!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Claude says while motioning her to stay back, "Like I said, we don't have proof and this might just be a huge misunderstanding-"

Edelgard storms into the greenhouse, her stomping feet echoing throughout the interior. Claude reaches out to her as he tried to call her back. The enraged heir, feeling betrayed by the man she respected more than anyone else and by the two men who she saw as true equals, charges at Byleth. "Professor, I will have a word with you!" she yells out in frustration.

Byleth, crouched down in the corner doing _something_, seems to not hear her shouts reverberating in the room, and simply continues doing whatever it is he was doing. Claude and Dimitri chase after her in desperation, seeing that perhaps there was still a way for them to get out of the situat-

"Do not ignore me, Professor!" Edelgard shouts once again, this time directly at Byleth. She loomed over him, arms crossed and expressing disappointment through her face. Her incessant yelling seemed to finally catch his attention. Byleth, still crouching, turns towards Edelgard and stares at her with his seemingly distant gaze. "Edelgard? Why are you still awake?"

"I could ask you the same thing, you-you... lecherous deviant!"

"Ah… I suppose you could."

Her piercing gaze clashes with Byleth's regular stare. Dimitri and Claude catch up to them both, with Dimitri trying to pull Edelgard away as Claude apologizes for bothering their professor. The three of them gather outside the entrance once again.

"C'mon, girl, just-" Claude took a deep breath as he whispered to her, "Just let us handle this, okay?"

The house leader of the Golden Deers confidently strides up to his absent-minded professor. Despite his casual appearance, the sly, suave archer was already simulating various situations in his mind with one goal in mind: understand what the heck his beloved Teach was actually doing with the other girls. Committing to a relationship with one of the students would be something that Claude didn't necessarily mind. It would be damaging to the reputation of the monastery of course, but hey, he thought that if Byleth and Hilda were in a real relationship then he should just turn the other cheek. However, if he was indulging in a polygamy behind Hilda's back? That would be unacceptable.

… _But getting that out of Teach's mouth might be impossible,_ Claude thinks to himself.

"Yo, Teach!" he calls out. Byleth turns his head to Claude and stares at him. "You, uh, you doing anything there?"

"I am actually," Byleth says. Then there was silence.

"So uh, what ARE you doing?"

"Preparing something for Lysithea and Marianne. It's a… reward, you could say. For the exceptional work they put into the group task I assigned them this week."

Claude gulps. "Is that reward anything… personal?"

Byleth thinks for a moment, then smiles as he looks at him. "Yes, it's _very_ personal."

"Like, something you've perhaps done with other students? Specifically the girls?"

"Hmm… I think I've only so far done it with the girls. It's only something I've began doing recently, after all."

Normally, Claude is a collected individual who knows how to turn situations in his favor. Some people may refer to him as a trickster without a brain, but there are a multitude of examples that showcase his ingenuity.

This was not one of them. Byleth was both giving him the information he wants, yet at the same time made the information too confusing and vague at the same time!

"Could you do me a favor, Claude?" Byleth quietly asks him, as to not let Dimitri and Edelgard overhear. Claude leans in close as the professor whispers to him.

"Tell both Marianne and Lysithea to meet me tomorrow after class for a private session. Ah, and while you're at it, please pass the message to Leonie as well, except tell her to meet me earlier in the morning. I'll be ready for them tomorrow."

"A-Ah, yeah! Sure-"

"And," Byleth adds, "could you get Dimitri and Edelgard to leave for now? I promise I'll meet with the three of you soon."

Claude didn't respond. Instead he smiles, then slowly and awkwardly makes his way back to his two peers with the same smile seemingly frozen on his face. They try to snap him out of it so he could explain what the professor asked of him, but he couldn't get out of his trance. Dimitri sighs, then enters the greenhouse himself.

The prince of the kingdom of Faerghus was a stoic boy since birth, adapting to both the situational problems within his family and the inherent nature of the kingdom itself. Dimitri prides himself in living for those who lived before him, and for those who loved him. He trains himself to the physical limit to one day grant peace to those of the dead, and to pave a path to the future for those in his life now. Byleth was a special case, however. Dimitri felt for a long time that his professor always held love for everyone around him, even if he were not one to show it. He could remember the one moment where he saw Byleth smile. It was warm, and it even warmed his heart. With Byleth, it wasn't a matter of living to help secure a future for him. Rather, it was a matter of living so that Byleth could smile more in the future.

That's why he must know if these rumors are true, and even if they are, then he would dedicate himself to correcting his professor and guide him much like Byleth had guided him.

"Good evening, Professor," Dimitri politely smiles as he greets him, "may I ask what you are doing at this hour?"

"You may," Byleth replies without turning to meet Dimitri's eyes. The prince leans a little closer to him.

"Thank you. What is it that you are doing, Professor?"

"Come close if you'd like to see."

And so Dimitri stands beside Byleth to see just what he was doing. In his hands, Byleth gently held the petals of a small blue flower. "You are… caressing a flower?" he asks.

"If that's what it looks like, then yes. Look over here," Byleth points a little bit away from his flower to a small group of other flowers. They all looked exactly like the flower Byleth was caring for. "These are special plants I've been taking care of."

"I see!" Dimitri exclaims with delight. So the professor was simply gardening at an abnormal time, nothing inherently wrong with that! "So may I assume that you have been inviting the girls to garden with you?" he asks.

"Hmm? No, nothing like that."

"Oh, is that so?" Dimitri tilts his head like an intrigued puppy. "What is it that you do with the flowers then?"

"I turn them into special gifts."

"That is quite kind of you, Professor!" he exclaims with positivity once again. Seems his fears were truly unfounded. How disrespectful of him to suspect his teacher of immoral behavior based on false rumors and his wild imagination! Now Dimitri felt guilty, and made a mental promise to make it up to-

"I hope that these gifts help make them happy. It helps during our private one-on-one sessions."

"Ah… What was that, Professor?" Dimitri asks with a smile. Byleth returns a smile of his own.

"Yesterday I met with Ingrid, and I used these flowers to help make her feel good."

His smile twitched slightly as a drop of sweat formed on his forehead. "I-Is that so?"

_What could THAT possibly mean?!_ Dimitri thinks.

"I'm preparing them for you, Claude, and Edelgard as well, if you don't mind allowing me to spoil the surprise," Byleth calmly says, a hint of excitement hidden in his words. "Hopefully I can also help make you three feel loved."

"Ah. Excuse me, Professor."

Dimitri turns away and exits the greenhouse with the unbridled smile still plastered on his face. Edelgard waves her hand in front of his face. He didn't respond. Now both he and Claude were completely stunned.

"This is ridiculous," Edelgard says aloud. She once again storms into the greenhouse to confront Byleth, this time dragging the two frozen leaders alongside her. The girl had no intentions of beating around the bush, and simply asks him directly.

"Professor, are you participating in indecent relationships with students?"

This time, Byleth quickly turns to her with a sad frown. "Edelgard! What do you mean by that?"

Seeing the sadness reflected in his shimmering eyes tugged at her heartstrings. It genuinely hurt her to accuse her professor of such a thing, but she HAD to get to the bottom of this!

"The three of us have come here to determine whether or not you've been coercing the females into unsavory activities unbecoming of a teacher at this monastery. Well, Professor? Is it true?"

"Edelgard… Dimitri, Claude…" he gazes at the floor with downcast eyes, "is that how you view me?"

All three of their hearts simultaneously broke.

"I would never do such a thing. What makes you think I would?"

"Well you see, Hilda told me that you made her '_feel good_' and didn't say anything else…" Claude hesitantly said.

"Ingrid mentioned that you are '_loving_' during our dinner…" Dimitri sheepishly admitted.

"And earlier today, Dorothea told me that you made her '_feel like a woman_'!" Edelgard promptly exclaimed.

Silence fills the air once more. Byleth blinks twice. The three leaders all stare at him, each displaying a different expression and emanating a different feeling in their gazes. Byleth turns away once more with his hand held to his mouth. Claude wondered if he was buying time to scheme up a reasonable excuse. Dimitri prayed that he wasn't thinking of a punishment too degrading for the three of them for this. Edelgard was fully convinced that he was carefully choosing the final words he spouts out as she will soon proceed to have him excommunicated. As the trio allowed their teacher the time to answer, they are left in suspense as Byleth doesn't turn back to face them.

No… No, he was shaking very gently. Wait, no, now he made a strange noise coming from his mouth as he shook.

_He was-_

The three of them realize all at once. _He was stifling his laughter!_

Byleth coughs and regains his composure. Calmly, he faces them once more. "Close your eyes now," he demands.

"Y-Yes, Professor!" Dimitri says while doing so without delay.

"Alright, I guess," Claude says with uncertainty as he closes his eyes.

Edelgard doesn't close her eyes. Byleth raises an eyebrow, as if he was questioning her faith in him. She bites her lip in annoyance, then closes her eyes. Footsteps echo in the hall of the greenhouse. They fade for a short moment, then increase in volume once again. The first to break the silence was Dimitri, who voiced a strange and sudden exclamation. Claude follows that up by making a noise of intrigue. Then Edelgard felt the Professor reach his arms around her from behind and wrap something cold around her neck. She felt the urge to attack out of instinct, but she stayed calm, waiting until he did something indecent to her.

"Alright," Byleth says, "you may open your eyes."

"Wow… Professor, I…" Dimitri muttered softly. He seemed to be speechless, something which surprised Edelgard. Claude, too, was at a loss for words as they both looked at something in their hands. She held her hands up to her neck, then felt a small object held up by a chain.

It was a pendant inlaid with a small uncut ruby. Engraved on the rim of the shell in fancy letters was the word "Empress." Edelgard took a peek at her peers to see that both Claude and Dimitri also held pendants. Claude's uncut gem was a bright yellow citrine, the word "Sovereign" engraved on the shell while Dimitri's was a sapphire gem of deep blue, the word "King" curved beneath that.

"IDEALLY I would have given you these after the battle of Eagle and Lion, but seeing as you three are accusing me of improper student-teacher conduct…" Byleth tells them with a passive-aggressive tone.

"These must have taken a long time to create Professor! How did you…?" Dimitri asks.

"I've been preparing these for a while now Dimitri. I began about, perhaps, two or three months ago?"

"You gave these to the other girls?" Claude asks.

"No, they received different gifts. Hilda passed her certification exam for the Warrior class, so I presented her with a hair-clip modeled after these flowers to incentivize her to work harder. Ingrid and I had a talk where she told me of her personal issues, and so I made a bookmark and pressed these flowers onto it, gifted that to her, and told her that her life matters. As for Dorothea, she came to me somewhat distraught by a few harsh gossip being said about her, so I gave her a facial moisturizer that utilizes the gel of aloe vera mixed with the properties of the flower's nectar and petals and told her that she was more than petty gossip."

The three nobles slowly process his words.

_Well, Hilda DOES like accessories,_ Claude thinks to himself,_ so I guess she would "feel good" from getting a personal gift like that._

_Receiving such a thoughtful gift and such kind words would be seen as "loving," in a manner of speaking_, Dimitri reasons within his mind.

… _Dorothea absolutely would say that she was treated "like a woman" in such a scenario_, Edelgard reluctantly admits to herself.

"What do the flowers have to do with these then?" she asks.

"Open it up."

A clicking sound resonate together when the three open their pendants. Inside the right half of the shell was a single petal of the flower pressed by the glass into cushions colored differently to represent their house colors. The left half of the shell was empty, save for a faint etching of the word "Myosotis."

"Forget-me-not," Byleth says to them before pulling the three of them into a warm hug. They were all taken aback by surprise to see their teacher expressing such emotion both in his words and in his actions. This was truly a first.

"That is the Myosotis flower. These pendants are to help the three of you remember the bonds you made with everyone in your classes, and the bonds you made with each other. After all, you three carry the future of Fódlan within your hands. If you truly strive for peace, know that such a world will only be brought about through the same compassion you three hold for each other."

"Professor…" they whisper softly.

"And," he adds while gently smiling, "it would be great if you don't forget me either."

At a later date they would learn from Jeralt himself that Byleth always had a fond attraction to the Myosotis flower for no real particular reason. He just appreciated the concept of "Forget-me-not" itself, eventually gaining a sort of personal connection to the plant. Through the majority of his life, Byleth's emotions only show themselves when the flower is involved somehow. Jeralt didn't mind of course. The life of a traveling mercenary was a cold and lonely one. Even traveling together as family couldn't change that. From childhood to adulthood, Byleth grew up in a world of cruel reality that he was forced to realize and recognize at a young age. Knowing that there was still something for him to think of fondly and in happiness was good enough for Jeralt.

That night they received their pendants, the three nobles returned to their rooms. However, they couldn't sleep. They were too enamored by the very love exuding from the gift crafted by their Professor.

* * *

**_This is a rather self-indulgent AU sort of fic. I personally love forget-me-not flowers, so when I saw it in the game, I knew I had to write something about it! Please enjoy reading about Byleth's strange fascination witht the flower. In this story, please also imagine that Byleth rotates classes with Hanneman and Manuela every week so that he has the opportunity to teach all three houses._**

_**Want to make new friends to share fanfics with and to enjoy writing with? Check out the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at /9XG3U7a**_


	2. The Recluse and the Competitive

"Bernadetta."

"No! You can't make me come out, Professor!"

"Bernadetta, please."

"N-Not even IF you change your tone to sound concerned! I'm not coming out no matter what!"

"Bernadetta, I brought you cake."

"Ooh, cake with the Professor… I-I mean, I don't care! I don't want cake at all, especially if I have to eat it with you!"

"I see. Oh, Lysithea, here you are. Would you like this cake? Here you go-"

"WAAAAAAAIT!"

The door bursts open, the sound of it slamming against the wood echoing out in the air. A hungry beast dashes out with arms outstretched and mouth watering, only to see her dear professor empty handed. Neither the smile on her face nor the sparkle in her eyes disappear, but soon enough tears would begin to flow down her cheeks. Byleth picks her up and hoists her over her arms while she was still in a despair-filled shock, then carried her over to the dining hall. He leaves her at a table closest to the kitchen, then goes to the kitchen himself. Linhardt saw her, waved his hand in front of her out of curiosity, then shrugs his shoulders and walks away when she doesn't respond.

Byleth returns with two platters. After setting them down, he places a fork in Bernadetta's hand, gingerly curling her fingers around it. There was no response from the girl. He grabs her plate and lifts it up to her face. Its pleasant aroma is picked up by her immediately, causing her stomach to growl and breaking her out of her depressed trance.

"Ahh…" she happily mewls, "the tender aroma of sauteed Caledonian Gar and Albinean Herring, topped off with a wondrous sauce that befits an emperor! What a divine Two-Fish Saute, I have to-"

She soon realizes that she was out of her room. And in the Dining Hall. And with the Professor, who is sitting across from her. Bernadetta wanted to scream, but she knew it would attract more attention than she wanted, so this time she chose to suffer in silence. It wasn't all bad, considering she now gets to eat one of her favorite dishes.

The flavor of the butter spreads in her mouth with every chew of the fish. Bernadetta feels her head melt away as she continues to eat. She opens her eyes to see Byleth watching her, not bothering to touch his food at all. _Does the Professor not like the food? I mean, sometimes the cooks don't really do a good job of making it, but today's batch is absolutely amazing! Hmm, maybe he wouldn't mind if I take some of his-_

"Enjoying it? Would you like some more?"

Byleth pierces a chunk of his fish, then offers it to Bernadetta by lifting the fork up to her face.

_What? He's actually offering? B-But I didn't even ask yet! Wait, is it possible he read my mind?!_

His expression is as indifferent as usual. She couldn't tell if he was harboring some secret plan against her. Hesitantly, she bites down on his fork, and the worry on her face disappears into an expression of bliss once again.

_Nah, that can't be,_ she thinks to herself, _the Professor is just too nice to Bernie. But wow, this food is great! I wonder who made-_

"I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it," he comments, "seeing as I'm the one who cooked it."

Bernadetta chokes on her food. _He what?! HE'S the one who cooked this delicious platter?! Oh no. He even answered that as I was wondering who made it! He really CAN read my mind! Please stay out of my head, Professor!_

An indifferent expression once again.

_Oh no, what if he's plotting to do something bad to Bernie?! He coerces the young maiden out of her room, transports her to a public setting, traps her with exquisite food, only to humiliate her in front of everyone out of his hidden vendetta against the girl for something she did to him! Then after humiliating her, he'll carry out vengeance against her entire family because THEY ruined the lives of HIS family by dirtying their name and making everyone treat them like trash, so once her family gets wind of her humiliation they'll bring him to a public court where he's to be executed but then HE executes them and kills everyone in the audience out of spite then he'll hunt down the rest of the family who have decided to hide from him but he still manages to find them and kill them all and then at the very end the man will take the girl as his wife so that he has a companion to take over the entire world as he watches it turn in the neverending spiral of fate that pulls-_

"I know you prefer to stay cooped up in your room, but not only have you missed class, you've never once came out of that room for the past three days. I'm getting worried."

Bernadetta was taken by surprise. Byleth was only worried about her stranger-than-usual actions, _of course_ that's all! She releases a sigh of relief.

_Wait… wait, no that's even worse! Does he know why I-_

"It's because I scolded you after last month's mission, correct?"

_He knows!_

"I'm sorry for messing up! I swear, you'll never see Bernie step out into the field of battle again-"

Byleth interrupts her with another forkful of food. She takes another bite, joyfully squeals, then began to continue her rant until he started shuffling through his bag.

_What's he gonna take out? Is it the classwork I missed?! Noooo, please don't do it to me Professor!_

She closes her eyes. It was a special move that she learned after years of experiencing situations that she didn't want to acknowledge. Half a minute passes. Bernadetta's anxiety continues to rise higher and higher, then just when she thought she couldn't handle it anymore, she felt her sleeve being pulled up. She slowly cracks open her eyes to see what was happening. Byleth was now sitting next to her, strapping some type of armor to her arm. Its soft leather tightens her forearm as he gently tugs on the string. When he finishes, Bernadetta brings her arm up to her face to take a closer look at it.

"Oh! This is an archer's arm guard, right?"

She had seen these being sold for exceedingly expensive prices on the market. Remembering that made her all the more scared.

"W-why are you giving this to me? Is this your way of ensuring my undying loyalty through materialistic bribery?! I-"

The meek girl stops when she sees the downcast look in Byleth's eyes.

"It wasn't my intent to scold you for 'messing up.' Last month, when you gashed your arm and kept going despite that, I got worried. Archers shouldn't neglect that kind of injury. Had you let the bowstring gash your arm again, it may have worsened into something more serious. I didn't want that to happen to you."

"Professor…"

"That's why I scolded you so harshly. The fear and anxiety on the battlefield will affect each and every movement you make, including the way you anchor your bow."

"I know…" she timidly responds, "but I can't help it. I'm just not used to fighting yet…"

"That's why I made this for you."

"Wh-what?!"

_He MADE this?!_

Bernadetta's anxiety was immediately replaced by an overwhelming feeling of admiration and awe. The way the leather was weaved together could use some work, but this is nothing short of amazing. Now that she was taking a closer look at it, she could notice the thin layer under the guard itself. The fabric was soft to the touch. It didn't scratch against her skin, it didn't irritate it, and for some reason it gave her a familiar feeling of comfort. She recognizes the material. It's the same cloth that was used in their blankets. What really impressed her was the stitching in this layer. The red string threading along the edge of the guard looked so precise, as if he had measured out the length of every segment just to make it look nice.

_Oh Goddess, he actually DID do that, didn't he?!_

Something of this caliber must have taken much longer than just three days for him to make. Was it possible that he had been preparing this for her even before the mission?

"Hm?"

She notices a small flower embroidered on the leather. "What's this?" she asks.

"It's a forget-me-not flower. Hopefully it'll remind you not to forget it when we go out into battle."

_The forget-me-not, _Bernadetta thinks to herself, _I've recently seen that growing in the greenhouse. Aw… this is such a sweet gift. I've only ever gotten a thoughtful gift like this from my uncle!_

"... Heh-heh!"

"What is it?"

"It doesn't look anything like the flower in the greenhouse, Professor!"

As she laughs to herself, Byleth suppresses the pain he felt at her comment by only focusing on her smile. When they both finish their meal, he hands her another bag and sends her off to her room. Still giddy from both the food and the gift, she grabs one of her pillows and cuddles it out of joy. Bernadetta always knew that the Professor was a nice person. She never felt afraid or anxious when he was around. He was the first person she had been able to speak normally to since attending the monastery. His kindness reminded him of her uncle, and while she knows that may sound weird, it was the most reassuring feeling she's ever had in her life.

"Oh, that's right, he gave me another bag. I wonder what's inside?"

Anticipation was normally another form of anxiety for her, but this time she was excited to see what else Byleth had for-

Her joy shatters when a note falls out of the bag.

_Here's your missing assignments. _

_Please complete all the coursework by the_

_time class begins tomorrow._

_-Byleth_

"..."

_I should have seen this coming._

* * *

The sun sat atop a mountain range far in the distance. Students making their way back to their dorms take a moment to admire the beautiful nature. Dazzling light emanating from the sun shimmers on the surface of the lakes circling the monastery. They also make a beautiful sight on their own, like seeing a long canvas that's been painted on with gentle strokes. Sometimes the students would come to the fishing hole to see it closely for themselves. Yet, unbeknownst to them, there is a world of its own beauty beneath that glistening exterior. A world that sustains life itself. One could look closely to see the fading shadows of that very life, and all one must do is cast a line to grasp hold of-

Byleth coughs. It seems Flayn's eagerness for fish has rubbed off on him somehow.

Now that classes had ended, the busy Professor was spending the rest of his day fishing away. Normally, if he were to fish, he would spend his ENTIRE day doing so on the weekend, but unfortunately he had to run a supplementary seminar due at his student's insistence.

Not that he really minded. He was happy to help his students with whatever they needed.

The line tugs.

Without putting any thought into it, Byleth pulls the rod back in a dramatic fashion. Helplessly did the fish struggle and squirm with all its might, but the deft mercenary ruthlessly yanks the entire rod and throws it like a javelin onto the pavement behind him. Passing students watch in both awe and confusion as the fish flails in the air and onto the ground. The spectacle ends just as quickly as it had happened. Byleth now held the fish in his hand, triumphantly holding it up.

_I must look stupid_, he thinks to himself, _but at least I'm effective._

"Look, kid, just because I showed you how to do that doesn't mean you should keep doing it."

He turns to see Jeralt waving at him from the stairs. "I know," Byleth responds, "but it's fun. Not once has it failed me."

Leonie pokes her head out from behind Jeralt, stars sparkling in her eyes.

"He can do that?! YOU taught him that?!" she excitedly asks him.

Byleth throws his fish into a bucket, grabs his rod, throws the line out, then sits down along the edge of the pier. The upbeat girl sits down next to him. "Could you teach me?" she asks, "Captain Jeralt is going to leave to do something soon, so I can't ask him."

He nods. She smiles.

Jeralt lets out a happy sigh. He knew Leonie probably wanted to learn it so that she could do it better than Byleth, but at least it meant that they were getting along. As unlikely as it would be, he hoped that they could be like siblings.

His son fiercely draws his rod up once more, but this time the line breaks. "As you can see," he explains, "the line will break easily if you turn your wrist like this. It will be difficult to try and avoid the natural instinct to move it that way, but overcoming it will help you master this technique quickly. Another key point to keep in mind is the angle you-"

"I'll see you two later," he calls out, "it depends on how quickly I finish this assignment."

The two wave goodbye to him as he leaves. Before he turns the corner, he peeks at them and Leonie pulling back the rod with too much force, causing the line to break once again. Feeling content, Jeralt hoists his satchel over his shoulder and prepares to leave.

* * *

His back ached.

Jeralt took his mercenaries and a few of the Knights of Seiros out to a nearby town. They had to rout off a violent group of bandits. Their job should have ended there, however, the knights _insisted_ that they all stay and assist in reconstructing the damaged homes. So, not wanting to argue with them (specifically Alois), he gave in and spent time carrying materials to carpenters. Alois kept giving him the heaviest loads.

It wasn't as if Jeralt had an elderly body unfit for physical labor. He's the leader of his own mercenary group after all.

Doesn't mean that the heavy load wouldn't affect him.

He drops his lance down in his office then looks outside. The moon has risen high in the sky. Most of the candles in the monastery itself were still alight, so perhaps it was still rather too early to turn in for the night.

_What a day_, he thought to himself.

Returning to the monastery was something Jeralt never expected he would have to do so soon. Of course, he knew that both he and Byleth would one day have to come here. Rhea would never leave them be. Knowing this, he had hoped that his son would grow up a little more before that time came.

Rather, that's what he believed at first. But after seeing Byleth flourishing as a teacher made him proud. Even if he doesn't show it, or even if he might never show it, Byleth was happy. And he genuinely cared for his students. He wouldn't be making all those intricate gifts using the myosotis flower if he didn't. When the three house leaders told Jeralt about the gifts they received, he was genuinely surprised to hear it. Byleth only ever did that for him, and no one else. Not even the other mercenaries got that kind of treatment.

_Speaking of the kid, I still need to see him.. He and Leonie are probably back in their rooms, but it couldn't hurt to check._

As he makes his way down to the fishing pond, he notices that there are quite a lot of students gathered around the entrance. This was new. Most of them would have returned to their dorms by now. What could possibly keep these students out so late when classes have already ended?

_Is this an emergency? Is someone hurt?_

Jeralt, acting on instinct, runs down the open hall and hurriedly pushes his way past the crowd, multiple scenarios playing through his mind. Did something happen to Byleth and Leonie while he was gone? Was there some sort of intruder who managed to injure them both? That couldn't be, he had trained the both of them in a style that emphasized adaptability. Leonie may be lacking in experience, but Byleth should be proficient enough to decimate a foe while protecting her. Was it possible that someone stronger than him showed up? A frenzied beast, perhaps? Or-

"Oh! Professor, something is tugging at my line!" Ashe cries out.

"Me too, me too," Caspar excitedly announces, "Aw man, I bet it's a big one!"

"Alright you two, now focus. Deep breath, tighten your posture, then execute!"

"HAH!"

Both boys pull up their rods in an outrageously extraordinary fashion. Caspar, with the strength of a War Master, recklessly pulls his rod to the sky, turns around, then slices it back down using both hands. On the other hand, Ashe, with the dexterity of an Assassin, elegantly maneuvers his line across the water. He then places the handle over his wrist and, as if twirling a spear, pushes the handle down to lift the line up. Two fish soar high into the sky, their majestic bodies glistening in the soft moonlight. Ashe carefully bounces back on one leg to catch his fish while Caspar falls on his back as he catches his. They both show the fruit of their labor to Byleth with smiles, who gives them an approving nod in return.

_Of course,_ Jeralt thinks to himself, _it's just a crowd watching their abnormal methods.__ I was worried for nothing. But where's Leonie?_

He scans the area to see her sitting at the edge of the pier. She was slouched over and hardly as bubbly as she normally is. Byleth walks over to her after he finishes applauding the other boys.

"Nothing yet?" he asks her. She silently shakes her head. When he sees the crestfallen look in her eyes, he reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out an embroidered handkerchief. Byleth passes it to her.

"I'm not leaving until I see you do it."

"... Heh…"

She quickly wipes her eyes dry with the handkerchief and hands it back to him. "Well, you just watch!" she replies, "I'm gonna do it better than you ever-"

Leonie feels her arm being pulled. The pole jerks around

"Woah, I think I got something!" she says while tightening her grip on the handle, "Ooh, a feisty one too-"

Leonie nearly falls off of the pier, her feet teetered atop its edge. With quick reflexes Byleth wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her back.

"O-Okay! That's a big one, that's a big one!" she says in a panic.

"Calm down! We'll just-"

Another forceful jerk at the rod. Leonie tilts forward and nearly brought Byleth into the pool with her until another pair of arms pull them both back.

"Plant your heel!" Jeralt yells out from behind them, "Slowly move back. Leonie, focus on keeping the line stable so that it doesn't break!"

The three of them carefully retract further back on the pier. Every now and then they lose their footing as their prey pulls back, but with Jeralt's strength behind both Byleth and Leonie, they manage to fight against it. When his heel touches the pavement, Jeralt takes a deep breath.

"Now!" he shouts out, "Pull with all your might!"

He pulls Byleth back and lifts him up into the air. Byleth in turn pulls Leonie back with him, lifting her higher into the air. Finally, Leonie heaves on the rod with all her might, and as she does so, the fish jumps into the air to catch the delectable herring on the hook. Everyone gasps in awe. A fish covered in rainbow scales graces the sky, the color of beautiful hues shine in the light of the moon. Ashe and Caspar are in awe of the fish, but in truth, they were completely entranced by the sight of Jeralt, Byleth and Leonie trying to reel it in.

"HAAAAH!"

The three of them fall to the floor atop each other as the fish falls down. And as they were ready to revel in victory…

The fish fell back into the water.

Silence fills the air. The dead expressions on their faces gave away the disappointment they felt in themselves. The rest of the students disperse. Ashe and Caspar try to console their Professor and peer, then leave after realizing that there wasn't anything they could do.

They were now alone with each other, lying down on the ground underneath a night sky of beautiful stars after having failed to catch the fish.

And for a long while, the three of them erupt into a gale of joyous laughter.

* * *

_**Alternate ending.**_

_Speaking of the kid, I still need to see him.. He and Leonie are probably back in their rooms, but it couldn't hurt to check._

The halls of the monastery was rather empty and lifeless. In the dining hall, Cyril continued to diligently put out the candles held up on the walls while Catherine indulged herself in a late night meal. Manuela was sluggishly dragging her feet along the wall on the way to her room while Shamir tried to guide her. Hanneman was immersed in his research right outside the hall as Alois continued his night-watch duty. Most of the students had already returned to their dorms, so the majority of people who were still out were the monastery staff. Hopefully Byleth and Leonie had taken a cue from the other students and returned to their own dorms as well, but knowing his own son, Jeralt was confident that he was still awake. His first guess was that he would find him at the greenhouse, but on the way there he noticed two people lying down at the pier. A single fishing rod gallantly stood in its fastener, the line and hook gently swaying with the waves.

_How odd. Are they alright?_

Jeralt approaches them and realizes that it was Byleth and Leonie sleeping next to each other. Leonie rested her head atop Byleth's chest.

_That's… something I never expected,_ he thinks to himself.

"Hey kid," he whispers while nudging at Byleth, "wake up."

The Professor slowly opens his eyes. "Mmph… oh. You're back. Finished with the assignment?"

"Yeah. I got back a while ago. You alright?"

"Mmm… yeah. I think we… took a break? We laid down to look at the clouds. I suppose we fell asleep without realizing it."

"I see. Well, it's pretty late now. You should probably return to your room."

"Right. I'll-"

"Mmm, no… stay right there, Professor…"

Leonie gently tugs on Byleth's hand when he moved. She still had her eyes closed, so perhaps she was dreaming about something.

"Oh. I'll have to bring her to her room."

He carefully lifts her up from the ground and carries her in his arms. "Thanks for waking me up," Byleth says to Jeralt, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right," he replies, "get some sleep."

As Byleth walked away carrying Leonie in his arms, Jeralt crossed his arms and thought to himself.

_Maybe those two will end up getting along a little sooner than I thought._

* * *

_**This chapter is different from the first, this time showcasing one scene where the forget-me-not is important, and another scene where it isn't. I also know that most readers don't typically like the idea of putting alternate endings together in one chapter, but I really liked both of them, so I included it to satisfy myself! Sorry if that somehow offends you.  
**_

_**Want to make new friends to share fanfics with and to enjoy writing with? Check out the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at /9XG3U7a**_


	3. The Wolf and the Shadow

_The way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death. To become a swordsman unparalleled, a swordsman who can surpass all others, one must acknowledge this dogma. The inability to come to terms with it is the very thing that brings even the most seasoned warriors down to their knees. A path to mastery is one filled with constant danger, where you WILL be killed if you do not kill your opponent._

_Acceptance leads to ascension beyond the constricting reality._

_Embodying one blade as if it were infinity. Collapsing a state of infinity to a state of zero. Representing two separate heavenly ideals with every individual strike. Echoing those very ideals with every stroke, thus distinguishing them as different yet the same with the resounding resonance. Perceiving that which cannot be perceived as the truth, and denoting that which is real as false. Acknowledging the two streams of consciousness as nothing more than empty thoughts. Empty thoughts that breathe life into the body and the mind. To metaphysically transcend that which you know to be fact so that you return to the Void. Return to emptiness to find a path to wholeness._

_But if you cannot accept death as a whole, then you will never come close to achieving these ideals._

"Essentially, what this book is saying is that I am a failure as a swordsman for lacking the capability to accept death," Felix whispers to himself while writing his notes. He sets his quill aside as he recaps the bottle of ink. With a frustrated grunt, he closes the book and reshelves it. Today had already mentally drained him. Adding insult to injury, directly through historical texts, was _not_ what he needed.

Even IF it was necessary for his education.

Students who have chosen to focus their central study around swordsmanship will find themselves occupied more often than not with books instead of actual physical work. The curriculum expects students to be thoroughly versed in differing styles. At the same time, if they wish to further their proficiency and grade in the course, they would need to specialize in their own style that represents their knowledge as well as their practical experience.

Most students end their education of the blade once they've achieved a recognized proficiency of C (as evaluated at their instructor's discretion of course). The minority would extend a little further to reach proficiency B if they wish to be Heroes or Assassins. There are few, such as Felix, who would aim for proficiency A in order to become Swordmasters.

Although, Felix had already reached proficiency S. Now he was aiming for S+ so that he didn't have to stand atop the renown of his family. Instead, he'll build a foundation of his own to rise from, independent of his house and crest.

And if it weren't for Byleth's support, he probably would never be able to come close to it. Of course, Felix would never admit that.

"Hm?"

His ears pick up a cheerful humming.

Footsteps approach his room from outside.

"Knock-knock, knock-knock… Felix? It's me!"

_Did she really just vocalize herself knocking on my door?_

"What is it, Annette?"

The spirited girl opens his door and peeks her head into the room. "Special delivery!" she says with a song-like swing to her words.

"Huh…"

Annette enters his room carrying a letter in one hand and a covered… _something_ in the other. The bag that held the mysterious object was long, nearly amounting to half of her height. Although, considering how short she is in the first place, perhaps that wasn't saying much. Felix gets up from his seat and takes the letter and wrapped object. Before she left the room, he called out to her.

"I thought you were more passive with your singing. Why are you openly humming in the hall?" he asks her.

"Huh? Was I doing that?" she ponders in confusion.

"You certainly sounded far too cheerful."

"Oh! Heheh," she sheepishly twirls her hair, "I AM in a good mood today! The Professor gave me such a wonderful gift earlier. Here, look!"

She reaches for a stacked set of three ink bottles, each one containing vibrant colors unlike anything seen in the common market. They were labelled with flower markings of differing shades, paired alongside musical notes and tiny drawings of animals. The three bottles were tightly tied together by string, and strung tightly with the set was a pristine quill, most likely a feather recently shed by an owl.

"You know how messy my notes can be and... Well, the professor saw them! I was embarrassed and thought that he would make fun of me for it, but he gave me this instead! His suggestion was for me to try using colors to code my notes. Apparently the professor had prepared this for me beforehand, since using the natural colors from a certain flower takes time to infuse into ink."

"A flower?" Felix questions, "Hmm."

"Actually, the big thing in the bag is from him! He said to try and give it to you since I was already going to give you the letter from your father."

"From my father…"

Felix glances at the envelope in his hand. Its wax seal certainly belonged to that of House Fraldarius. He sighs in exasperation. _I had just put down that book to avoid feeling frustrated, yet now I have to deal with my father's poor attempt at conversing with me. _

Annette leaves the room, leaving him alone with his two deliveries. Felix groans in anger. What else was there to do except deal with the issues first? He takes his dagger and crudely rips open the envelope. With complete disregard for the pristine, neatly packed letter, he aggressively plucks it out and unwraps it.

_To my distinguished son,_

_It has been quite some time since I had last seen you. I did visit the monastery recently, but unfortunately, I failed to find you. However, I was fortunate enough to meet the new professor of your class. Byleth Eisner, I believe?_

_As… "abnormal" as he seemed to be, I could perceive the dedication he has for his students behind the few words he spoke with. There was a fire in his eyes; a burning desire that seeks to protect the people he cares for. At the same time, I could see an empty shimmer reflecting off of those eyes, making them seem dull and apathetic. I believe that your teacher might be someone lost and confused amidst many other issues._

_Even so, at the end of the day, I trust him. And, for your sake, I would like to wish that he becomes a valuable ally. I pray that his guidance will lead you to become the strongest Aegis that guards against even Harpe's Scythe. To become the shield that defends both his highness and our kingdom._

_I feel tempted to ask you how you're faring on your studies, but I'm confident in believing you won't respond to this anyway!_

_Take care, my son._

_Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius_

"Disgusting," Felix says under his breath, "it's like he's actively telling me to become a meat shield for that boar… tch!"

He was once again frustrated, but not necessarily because of his father's selfish desires. Rather, Felix knew all too much that his father's desires were more selfless than selfish. He just wanted his son to grow stronger to better fulfill his role as an inheritor of the family crest. He didn't want Felix to perish on the field like Glenn did. After all, Felix is the only son he had left. The swordsman knew exactly how his father cared about him. He simply disliked the twisted idea of dying for glory like his brother had seemingly done so. To die in a bloody, meaningless purge all because of foolish political corruption…

The Tragedy of Duscur came back to his mind once again like a wave of ceaseless torment.

Felix curls his hands into a tight fist. _But that's not what frustrates me right now,_ he thinks to himself, _what frustrates me is the idea that my father and the professor are colluding together._

Could Byleth only be entertaining his wish to become an S+ swordsman just so Felix would be a better "shield" for Dimitri? Is that all Felix amounted to? Some man's sword to be sharpened so precisely only to become a dull, broken blade in some random field? Some man's shield that was meant to endure anything and everything only to eventually crack and shatter completely? Felix could see it in Dimitri's eyes. That fool would one day become a savage maniac who would gladly throw aside countless lives in order to achieve… whatever it was that he desperately sought to achieve. Not even Felix could comprehend what madness lurked behind those bloodthirsty eyes that belonged to that boar.

Was it possible that Byleth was only guiding Felix so that he could one day die for Dimitri as per his duty?

… _Speaking of the professor, what was it that he had Annette deliver to me?_

He reaches for the long bag and unwraps it. As he does so, he sees a sword handle protrude from within the cloth. Was this just some sword the professor had bought him?

It was only when he finished unraveling it that he realized this was not just a mere sword.

It was a katana held within a beautifully crafted scabbard. No, "beautiful" didn't give the article enough credit. The gentle flowers painted across a thin, blue canvas were unlike the markings he had ever seen on any casing before… actually, the flowers did remind him of something he just saw recently.

They were similar to the flowers on Annette's ink set.

As he was about to pull it out, he noticed a note on the floor that he didn't remember being there in the first place. Felix picks it up thinking that it must have fallen out of the bindings.

_Think of this as motivation_

_in finding that "hunger" you yearn for so desperately._

_Strength does not come easy, especially_

_for the loneliest wolf._

_Remember that.  
\- Byleth._

"..."

He takes a look at the guard of the katana. It had been expertly crafted to mimic that of the flowers which decorated its sheath.

"... Motivation, huh?"

He rewraps the blade into the long wrappings once more and sets it next to his desk.

_One day,_ he thinks to himself, _I'll find my purpose… and satiate it. But until that day comes, I won't allow myself to use this sword. However, if the day finally does come, then I'll proudly bare its fangs to the world._

_For now, I pray that you continue guiding me, professor._

Felix reaches for the book he carelessly stuffed into his shelf, and reads through its passages once again.

Glorified through a pointless death like his brother… that was something he desperately wished to avoid, because that meant all his efforts would have amounted to nothing compared to "a glorious death." But that didn't mean Felix didn't lose love and respect for his brother. And at the same time, he understood why his father tries so desperately to glorify Glenn's death. Perhaps acknowledging the love that the three of them share will be the first step to "accepting death as a whole," and the first step towards finding his purpose.

* * *

Enemies exist behind every single corner. Only optimistic fools well-deserving of death would dare to believe otherwise. Snakes in the grass searching to bite at the ankles of their foes, serpents stalking in the darkness waiting to bear their fangs at every waking moment, or high class vipers ready to spit their venom at the faces of common rats to mercilessly slay them where they cower. Learning how to protect yourself could be a solution, lest you allow your faint heart to constrict your ability to live when presented with danger. To many, securing their own lives were enough to make them feel content.

To Hubert von Vestra, however, protecting himself simply wasn't enough. It was his lifelong duty to protect someone else: The Emperor of Adrestia, Edelgard von Hresvelg.

Now, the dutiful shadow of the emperor hardly had much to worry about. Those who would dare to make an enemy of the empire would be swiftly and easily dispatched were he given the order to. Naturally, Hubert has the skills to back up his confidence. What DOES displease him, as much as he dislikes to admit, is the existence of those whose alignment towards the Empire are unclear. There are but a few names who make that oddly specific list, however, they are names that cannot be taken lightly. They are perplexing, yet dangerous individuals who may one day become the Empire's greatest enemies. At the very top of that list is someone whom Hubert is most wary of, and that is something not even HE believed could be possible.

They go by the name of Byleth Eisner.

Yes, that so-called _Professor_ whose emotions are blanker than any clear sky, whose temperament is calmer than even the stillest of rivers. A young man with the life of a mercenary, teaching at a distinguished institute without any issue whatsoever. Byleth has probably never had a proper education throughout his entire life, yet _he_ was appointed to instruct this generation of students by Rhea of all people. Why? What made the man so special? And why was he able to do his job _so well_? Had Lady Edelgard not already confirmed to him that Byleth lacked nearly any and all crucial information regarding Fódlan, Hubert would believe that the man had been taught by professors belonging to upper society.

Byleth posed a threat to the Empire. He was a man who carries the legendary Sword of the Creator, which implies that his blood stems from the corrupt man who prepared to ravage all of Fódlan. He has the power to single-handedly decimate the Adrestian Empire, the Kingdom of Faerghus, the Leicester Alliance as well as the Church of Seiros itself

Therefore, it falls upon Hubert to direct that strength towards helping the Empire, and-

"Hubert? Are you listening?"

His head quickly yet barely jerks up. _Tch, how uncharacteristic of me to have been distracted by my own thoughts,_ he thinks to himself as he stands up.

"Of course I was. I was just waiting for you to finish what you were saying, Professor," he curtly responds.

"Naturally. So then, like I asked, please give the class your interpretation of the story. What was the answer behind the Desert Queen's riddle in her encounter with the Heavenly King?"

_Ah, right. The assigned reading from yesterday._

"There is no true 'answer' behind her riddle, Professor, for it itself could hardly be called a riddle. The Desert Queen regales the Heavenly King with a story of two merchants who were both tasked to deliver goods to the same destination. The story goes on to detail the different journeys the two ships took. One prioritized the safety and survival of its crew while the other prioritized keeping their precious cargo intact. While both were able to arrive to their shared destination and complete their goals, they both suffered greatly during the ordeal."

Hubert crosses his arms. "Both journeys symbolize different ways a leader could lead. One prioritizes the sake of his goals while the other prioritizes the people who follow him. The Desert Queen was attempting to see if the Heavenly King could recognize this, and thus, see if he was worth allying with."

Byleth gives him a nod of approval as Hubert sits back down. Just as the discussion was ready to move forward, Petra raises her hand.

"Professor? Which side was the right?" she asks.

"Do you mean to ask which method of leading was correct?" Byleth clarifies. She nods. Linhardt rubs the edges of his eyes while raising his hand.

"I don't believe the point of the story was to choose a right way-"

"Oh come on, CLEARLY you gotta save your people right?! They're following you for a reason!" Caspar interrupts. Linhardt's forehead scrunches up out of irritation from Caspar's sudden outburst. He lays his head back down to try and go back to sleep.

"I agree with Caspar, Professor. A true leader, like ANY true noble, should be able to save those who heeds his command. They aren't pawns for achieving a goal! They are people who wish to work together towards one goal!" Ferdinand adamantly proclaims. Dorothea sighs as she shakes her head.

"Sometimes there has to be sacrifice for the greater good. You can't expect EVERYONE to make it out alive. And even when you and your group makes it, there are people who you aren't aware of who end up dying. It's an idealistic way, yet it's wholly unrealistic," she says. Bernadetta nods her head in agreement.

"I-I'd like for things to have a happy ending! B-But you never know what may happen… You could find yourself in the worst situation possible that forces you to throw away your companions and loved ones. You can't allow yourself to die, because there was truly no guarantee that someone can carry on your legacy by stepping over your cold, lifeless corpse. And as a leader, if you allowed your followers to hold you back from attaining your goals, then what were you leading them for in the first place… e-er, I mean, that's just my useless, pointless thoughts!"

Dorothea pats Bernadetta's head as the meek girl slumps back down, covering her face from the class. Caspar rubs the back of his head as he sits back down in dejection. "Man, you guys are downers…" he whispered to himself.

Hubert scoffs. Lindhardt was actually the only one whose words held value in that discussion. The passage itself wasn't meant to make the Heavenly King choose which way of leading was better, it was to make the King recognize different ways of leading his people, and help him reflect on what he had done so far. In turn, this would make readers try and do the same. It wasn't trying to prompt people to choose one side over the other.

That would be wrong. Even Hubert could recognize that. The text even goes as far as to describe only a _general_ situation of leadership. True, real-life experiences in carrying the mantle of a Leader brings with it multiple factors put into play.

_… Hm?_

He glances over to Edelgard, who was wistfully eyeing the pendant she wore. _Strange_, he thought to himself,_ I know she wears the hair ties, but has she always worn any other accessory?_

Suddenly, she stood up from her seat with her hand raised. "Professor!" she exclaims, "May I add my input to the discussion?"

"Of course you may."

"…"

She held the pendant he gave her in her hand, tightening her grip. "I believe that neither side is correct. If a leader were to solely chase after their ideals, they will eventually end up leaving their followers behind. But if they held themselves back to account for the safety of their followers, then no one will be able to get what they want. In the worst case scenario, another group may trample over them, rendering their efforts to nothing."

"I see," says Byleth, "so then tell me, Edelgard: What do you believe is the ideal way of leading?"

She shakes her head in disagreement of his words. "No, Professor. There isn't an ideal way." Edelgard opens her fist to take a look at her pendant.

"A leader must lead how they see fit, or else they would lack followers in the first place. If they fail to stick to their ideals, then what were they leading for in the first place? I believe that staying steadfast to what one does with the mantle of a Leader is best."

Hubert saw the tiniest smile emerge from Byleth's lips before the enigmatic professor quickly suppressed it. "A wonderful interpretation," he says to her, "you may be seated. Now, to finish off our lecture on Authority, we will-"

Edelgard sat back down with a proud smile on her face. As Byleth continued to finish the class with his closing remarks, she opens the pendant and simply stares at it until the end. Hubert takes a quick glance to see the contents within. However, all he could afford to see without catching her attention was the etching inside the pendant, and not whatever was held behind the glass.

"Myosotis." If memory serves, that's the name for a type of flower.

At the end of class, Hubert approached Bernadetta (who immediately tried to run away in fear until Hubert sternly called her back) and requested her to follow him to the greenhouse. They both arrive in a short amount of time.

"Now tell me, Bernadetta. Which one is the 'Myosotis'?"

"Huh? That's all you wanted me for?" she asks in disbelief. His icy glare causes her to yelp in fear. "O-Okay! Let's see, I know the professor is growing them somewhere around here-"

"The professor, you say?"

"Oh yeah!" she answers with excitement, "He's the only one who grows the forget-me-nots here. Oh, uh, forget-me-not flowers are the same as the myosotis flowers you're looking for… Here they are!"

Bernadetta leads Hubert by the hand over to the patch of forget-me-nots that Byleth grows. She smiles and began humming to herself out of nowhere. "Ahh, these flowers are just so beautiful. I can't help but feel calm when I see them!"

_How strange… it seems Bernadetta also has some sort of attachment to that flower, much like Lady Edelgard. Does it have to do with the professor? In fact, why IS the professor wasting his time with botany?_

"So did the professor also give you a gift, Hubert?"

He turns to her and raises an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Bernadetta raises an eyebrow herself. "W-Was I wrong? He's slowly been making lots of presents for the students by using these tiny flowers in some manner. I thought that you were asking about the myosotis because you received one of his gifts as well."

"Gifts, you say…? And what has he given you?"

"Oh! He gave me a wonderfully crafted arm-guard with a stitching of the flower decorated on it. He said it could hopefully make it so that I will never forget it when going to battle. It's such a thoughtful gift, that's why I feel so happy when I think of these flowers!"

_So Lady Edelgard's pendant also originated from him? Perhaps I'll have to interrogate him myself._

"H-Hubert… your face is scary…"

And so, the shadow of the Adrestian Empire stalks his prey later that night. He follows Byleth at a distance while naturally interacting with those he passes by to mask his suspicious acts. So far, it seemed that the naturally aloof Professor hadn't caught on to being followed. It was rather disappointing for Hubert. Shouldn't the son of the legendary Blade Breaker at least be aware of his surroundings?

Rather, that's what Hubert felt at first, until he had reached his professor's room. Byleth entered and began setting up seats near his desk. "Hubert, you may come in now," he called out once he had finished.

"Tch. So you had noticed? I suppose that means assassination is out of the question. At least for now."

"Hubert, you have said that same line to me before. Tell me, what are you here for?"

The retainer enters the room, but doesn't bother to sit down. "Once more, I am here to assess whether or not you are a threat to the empire."

"As always," Byleth responds as blankly as ever.

"Although…" Hubert speaks with hesitation, "there is a possibility… that I have been mistaken about you."

He coughs into his hand as Byleth tilts his head to the side in confusion. "That pendant Lady Edelgard has been wearing… it's from you, isn't it? And those flowers you grow, the myosotis, otherwise known as the forget-me-not. You grow those to gift your students."

"Yes, that is all true."

"Then…"

Hubert bows in front of Byleth, pushing himself well over the ninety-degree formality. "I thank you for doing so. It seems Lady Edelgard has been able to feel much more confident about herself because of your gift. The other students of the Black Eagles, such as Bernadetta, also seem to be positively affected as a result. And thus… I acknowledge that you are currently of no danger to the Empire."

"Thank you, Hubert."

"However, that does not mean you are fully exempted. I will not be surprised if you become a traitor, thus becoming a danger I must eliminate with haste."

"Of course, Hubert."

Awkward silence fills the air between them both. Neither men had anything to say to each other, so Hubert took initiative in leaving. Yet as he turned to do so, he felt his sleeve being tugged from behind.

"This is for you," Byleth says to him. He hands his student a fresh, untouched forget-me-not, most likely a recent harvest from the greenhouse. "I've been working on creating myosotis flowers with different colored petals, and I've succeeded. This isn't much, but this is the fruits of my labor: a myosotis with black petals. I made this specifically for you."

Hubert took it without a word of thanks and simply returned to his room. He felt tempted to discard the flower or at least hand it off to someone else. After all, it was just a useless flower, unlike the arm guard that he allegedly presented to Bernadetta.

_Yet…_

A part of him wanted to keep it.

_All my life, I had been servicing the Empire as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Is this… the first time anyone has ever done something for me?_

He pulls a spellbook from his shelf and opens it, searching for a method to preserve the flower using magic.

_I shall keep this as a reminder, professor. A reminder that you wasted your time to try and gain my favor._

… _This warm reassurance in my heart… Is this the warmth that Lady Edelgard gained through her gift?_

* * *

_**The story of the Heavenly King and the Desert Queen have nothing to do with Fire Emblem: Three Houses or its lore. It's just a story I made up to serve as a plot point for the class discussion.**_

_**Want to make new friends to share fanfics with and enjoy writing together? Check out the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at /9XG3U7a**_

_**As always, thank you for your support.**_


	4. Family Pain, Family Lost, A New Family

Never has a day gone by where she hadn't prayed for an escape.

Marianne clasps her hands together, intertwining her fingers in between each one as she bows her head down. Perhaps the sight of her revering the Goddess in the monastery's own church would prove to be a beautiful image. That is, if anyone could even see her in the darkness at this time of night. There were hardly any candles left flickering within the church, save for the few that were left lit as to use up what little remains of the wax. Not even the luminescent light of the moon could seep in through the stained glass. While this would be rather frightening for some (one white-haired classmate in particular comes to her mind), it was nothing to her. Rather, it felt comforting for her.

The fragile girl relishes the eerie atmosphere. It was a sign of _something_ to come. A part of her feels that—no, _anticipates_ that her wish was close to coming true.

Her wish to escape her own Crest.

_The power of my crest… is to bring misfortune to those around me._

She lets out a sigh. Today was difficult for her.

Throughout essentially the whole day, Marianne had felt more uneasy than she usually did. Byleth had announced out of nowhere that he scheduled a mock battle against the Knights of Seiros early in the morning for the Golden Deer class. This wasn't much of an issue for the students, in fact, all of them were excited to some degree (aside from a certain pink-haired individual). Marianne herself was normally fine with mock battles as well, but she was very worried this time. Due to the fact the battle was a surprise, she couldn't prepare herself beforehand. This means that there was a real chance that her Crest might have triggered mid-battle despite all her desperate efforts to hide it.

Luckily for her, she hardly felt its power during the battle, so it was highly unlikely that anyone had noticed it in any way. Still, she couldn't help but panic. Yet, neither Byleth nor Hanneman had approached her about anything regarding crests today, so Marianne was sure that she would be fine for now.

The thought of someone noticing her crest was more frightening than anything else. If someone knew, would something terrible happen to them too? Just like it did to her parents…?

Marianne shakes her head to clear her thoughts. _Keep praying_, she thinks to herself, _and maybe the Goddess would be willing to send something good your way._

"Are you praying for something good to come your way?"

Startled by the voice behind her, Marianne turns around. She finds herself being greeted again by the blank expression of her professor's face.

"P-Professor!"

The unease she had to endure throughout the day slowly began to crawl up her back once more. "Wh-What are you doing here at this time of night?" she timidly asks.

"I've been waiting here for you to show up."

"Wha-"

Marianne quickly scans him, seeing the dirt on his clothes and the gashes on his face. He hadn't even returned to his room to clean himself after the exercise this morning… nor did he even go to his room after the regular lectures had ended. He must really have waited here for her since class ended.

"I'm so sorry, professor, I-I didn't know I was keeping you up like-"

"During training today, you were sloppy. Inefficient. The other students have suffered more injuries than expected, and while it hardly matters much in the long run, the fact that you failed to keep up still stands. It is true that you are not the only one in the Golden Deer's with the capability to heal, however, you still stand as the house's dedicated healer. Were we out in the battlefield, things may not have gone as well as it did today."

She lowers her head in shame. This was new, being scolded by Byleth. Somehow it felt worse than when Manuela or Hanneman did it. Each of his words stabbed at her, piercing her body at different angles. Her entire body could physically feel the guilt.

"I apologize, professor. Next time, I'll…"

_I'll what? Fight harder so that my crest is more likely to activate and expose me? Or bring misfortune simply by being there? What could I even-_

"Marianne? Are you okay?"

She looks up to see that his face was closer to hers. For some reason, she felt paralyzed… no, no that wasn't right. She just didn't want to move away.

"If something is wrong, please tell me. Not for my sake, not for the sake of the others, but for your own. Your own life is what's at stake everytime you go out into the battlefield. So tell me. What happened today?"

Her mouth slightly opens to speak, but she immediately closes it once more. Byleth sighs, then gently places his hand on her shoulder.

"Marianne, the last time we talked, you told me that because I didn't know the real you, I should keep my distance. But as your professor, I must always guide you as you, whether or not you truly believe I must stay away."

_No… No!_

"I-I won't allow that! I… I…'

The girl's dismal eyes lock with her professor's. "I don't want to lose you either professor!" she cries out.

As the memories of loneliness she had experienced long ago resurface, so does the vengeful hatred she feels for her own existence. If the other students were to be hurt because of her, then she could never forgive herself. If Claude, Hilda, or Byleth were hurt because of her, she wasn't sure if she could ever even continue living as-

"I won't be going anywhere."

Marianne looks up into his eyes. With only five words, her fears and doubts had immediately washed away, alongside the tears that had been welling up. Truly, Byleth was unlike anyone she had met before.

"... That's right, I have something to give you. A reward for the hard work you've been putting in. Hold on."

He reaches inside his coat, rummaging through his belongings to find his gift. After a few seconds, he pulls out a small brush. Despite being near him, the dim lighting within the church made it difficult to really see what he held, until he brought it up to her eyes.

It was a curry comb for grooming horses… _Right? The design is there, but something about it is…!_

She gently takes it from his hands and examines it closely. It was fashioned in a design that she had never seen before. A curry comb without a proper handle to grip onto. Normally most curry combs consist of a handle and a steel head. The head is cut and crafted so that it resembles rows of teeth to comb through a horse's body. However, this one was different. It was almost as if someone decided to tear off the metal head and forgo a handle altogether, instead choosing to fasten a strap atop the head. Was that where she was supposed to hold it?

"Here, like this," Byleth says as he slips her hand through the strap. "With this, you can comb Dorte as if you were petting him instead of awkwardly dragging the comb through at a weird angle. I noticed that you seemed to struggle with that when I last saw you, so I figured this would be much more effective."

Marianne stands there bewildered, unable to even say "thank you." _I don't deserve this,_ she thinks to herself, _a-and he was just scolding me mere moments ago for being sloppy during battle… so… why…?_

_Why do I still feel so happy?_

"It's okay to feel scared of other people, Marianne. It's okay to struggle with talking to them. It's okay to want to stay away from them. It's okay because those feelings come from wanting to protect others, from wanting to make sure that no harm comes to them. That in itself is a wonderful and powerful feeling, Marriane. That is a feeling you can treasure for the rest of your life. And just like you, there are people who feel that same desire towards you."

His lips softly lift to form a kind smile. Byleth holds up the comb to her face, pointing to the forget-me-not flower design embroidered on the strap. "Don't be scared of being scared. One day, you'll be able to take that fear and turn it into strength. Just take it slowly, like every gentle stroke you make when combing through a horse's mane-"

Byleth is interrupted when Marriane suddenly hugs him tightly.

"I want to go brush Dorte now! I-I'll see you tomorrow, professor!"

Without another word, she quickly runs out of the church and makes her way toward the stables.

_Perhaps I should have told her that she isn't allowed to see him until morning, _Byleth thinks to himself. He contemplates it for a few seconds before deciding to return to his dorm, hoping that she'll be prepared for tomorrow's

* * *

"Here."

Byleth presents him with the Lance of Ruin. Sylvain takes it, fiercely grasping the shaft in his hands. He now carries the very weapon that he had been born to wield. The very same weapon that his own crest allows him to withstand.

… The very same weapon that transformed his own brother into that horrid monster.

Sylvain could still see the blood. He could still feel the intolerable warmth that clawed away at his mind when he skewered his own brother to death. The unbearable taste of blood and iron in his mouth when the battle had broken him in more ways than one. Then came the anger and vexation. The hatred against his brother for what he had to suffer through at Miklan's hands.

And then he hated himself for it. He wasn't sure why, though. If anyone deserved to hate Miklan, it was Sylvain. After all, he had been treated terribly by his older brother, nearly losing his life multiple times.

There was just something about the idea of having lashed out against Miklan with revenge on his mind during that battle that simply… disgusted him. However, Miklan was indeed a terrible person. He was a man who allowed his pride to swallow his better judgement to the very end. A man who deserved the pitiful way his life had ended, ending not with a bang, but with a whimper. But even though that was the type of man his brother was, Sylvain could not truly hate him. He can be disappointed in him, annoyed by him, try his best to not be associated with him, or flat out deny his presence within House Gautier, much like his own father had done. But he couldn't hate him.

Hating him felt wrong.

_I just pity Miklan._

"Your brother loved you," Byleth says to him seemingly out of nowhere.

Sylvain raises an eyebrow. How did the professor know that he was thinking about his brother? Was he really _that_ easy to read?

He scoffs. "Miklan? Loving me? Professor, I mean no disrespect, but the guy tried to get me killed more times than he ever tried to show any care for me."

"I still stand by my belief."

His grip on the Lance of Ruin tightens.

"Professor… because I was born, he had been considered like an illegitimate child of House Gautier. Because I was born, Miklan had lost all rights as an heir and was forced to live on knowing full well that my existence ruined his."

"I still stand by my belief."

He was getting frustrated.

"Hah, and what would YOU know professor?!" Sylvain furiously yells out, "A mercenary like you who didn't even know about the crest system wouldn't know a damn thing! Hell, you only recently just learned that you have a crest. You've lived your entire life without the struggles I've had to go through myself, so just keep your thoughts to yourself!"

To calm himself down, Sylvain takes a few deep breaths. _Damn it, I shouldn't have lost my temper there. I might hate him for not understanding what I've gone through, but that doesn't mean I should take out my frustration on him. That's what messing around with the women is for, after all._

"I apologize, professor. I didn't mean to yell at you. Just… what even makes you think that Miklan could have loved me?" Sylvain asks. Byleth simply shakes his head.

"I have no reason. Call it my intuition."

"I'm sorry, what?"

The expressionless mercenary points to Sylvain's lance. "When I first laid my hands on that weapon, I felt something. It wasn't anything I could properly perceive, but _something_ was there… I thought I heard a voice whispering to me, apologizing over and over again."

Byleth then turns to his desk, pulls one of the drawers open, and unveils a long ribbon from within. Sylvain watches as his professor ties it onto the lance, noticing the flowery designs on the ribbon itself.

"They were someone's regrets. And I believe that they were Miklan's."

"Professor…"

Memories buried deep down resurface in Sylvain's head. Amongst all the pain and sorrow, there was one that stood out. An image of a younger Miklan, one who smiled at the sight of his baby brother.

Sylvain caresses the ribbon tied to his lance. Somehow, he felt like he could feel the emotion imbued in the interwoven thread.

Byleth smiles. "Please don't ever forget those regrets," he earnestly says to his student. Sylvain's mouth gives way to a slight smile, a smile that felt more genuine than the false confidence his normal smile exudes.

"Thank you," he says to his teacher, "I won't forget it."

The two of them allow the silence to fill the air, but it wasn't awkward for either of them. Rather, they felt calm like this.

"Hey," Sylvain suddenly asks, "I heard you've been getting popular with the ladies recently. From what I hear, you're getting a little _too _popular! So what's the scoop there, eh professor?"

"From where did you hear that?"

"Ah, when you're me, you kinda happen to… uh… let's just say 'overhear' the ladies gossiping around. So? C'mon, don't leave a guy hanging here! How in the world did you ever get someone like INGRID to get flustered when talking about you?"

"Wait, Sylvain-"

"Not that I'm trying to attack you for your taste in women or anything, but I know you're aware that Ingrid is kinda different from other women. Like, to an unnatural amount! Sure she's a good looker, but would you really wanna mess with a girl whose biggest focus right now is devoted to training? I mean hey, I respect the conviction but-"

"Sylvain!" Byleth interrupts with an alarmed voice.

"What?" Sylvain asks while shrugging, "It's not like she's behind me or anything, the door's closed."

"Er… just be careful on your way out, alright? I still have work to do."

As Byleth turns back to the papers on his desk, Sylvain smiles and leaves his professor to his work. It was only a few moments later that he would suddenly find himself knocked down to the floor by an extremely furious Ingrid.

_Looks like my warning was too late_, Byleth laments to himself, _or perhaps Sothis was too slow in her warning._

* * *

Ashe stares at the ceiling, his eyes fully devoid of luster. In his hands was the assasination plan plotted against Lady Rhea, the same plans that Lord Lonato had in his possession when he died. The young man brings his arm up to his face and covers his eyes. _What's wrong with me? Just get over it already,_ he thinks to himself. But the haunting image of Lonato's corpse was permanently burned to his eyes, and it wouldn't go away. Worst of all, it mingled and merged with the kind smile Ashe had always seen when he was with Lonato. Now, he couldn't tell which was which.

He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. The poor boy hasn't gotten a good night's sleep since that dreadful mission in the mist.

From outside his room, Petra knocks on the door. "Ashe? Are you awake?"

No response. She sighs as she leans forward to rest her head on the door. It was her feeble attempt to try and get a little closer to him, even if the distance was so far. With her hand placed against the door in a longing fashion, she gives off the look of a solemn and depressed girl. And if she knew what those words meant, she would agree. Petra had only gotten to see Ashe outside of his room every once in a while, which was reassuring to some degree. And for a short period, he had been dutifully attending class as best as he could. But out of nowhere, he slipped back down into a depression once again. Except this time, she was able to recognize it, unlike before when she carelessly misunderstood his reclusivity.

Now she felt embarrassed to remember her ignorance. However, she was willing to push that aside in order to prioritize helping him.

Petra herself wasn't entirely sure why she was doing this. For starters, Ashe is in a different house than her, one that she hardly gets any interaction with. Not only that, they had just met each other last month during that misty mission after Ashe had desperately begged Byleth to take him. So why was she prioritizing him?

Her mind fails to come up with a good answer, but her heart feels that she was justified despite that.

"Petra?"

The Brigidian princess turns around to see Edelgard with her arms crossed. "What are you doing here? Professor Manuela told us to return to class as soon as we could."

"I am knowing of that," she answers, "however…"

"However?" the Adrestian heir repeats, tilting her head in intrigue. "Is something the matter?"

Petra hesitates. Should she be worrying Edelgard about this? What if she finds her situation laughable? As the princess of Brigid, she should be representing the very best of her kingdom. Poised, unwavering and collected. "It is nothing," she says, "I shall be returning to the class soon."

She tries to leave, but Edelgard grabs her hand before she gets too far. "Petra, please. If something is troubling you, you can tell me. Did I not promise to help accommodate you for anything you need during your stay in Fódlan?"

"Y-Yes, but I am not having concern."

Edelgard shakes her head in denial. "Petra, you can trust me. You're my ally and my classmate, and most of all you are a friend." She grips the pendant around her neck, recalling the words she said to her teacher during their last class. "If there's anything that I can help with, please let me know."

After saying that, she immediately started to hesitate. Was she being too pushy? Was this unlike her? Perhaps Dimitri or Claude would tell her that she was, and perhaps even the professor would agree. _Maybe I should apologize and back off-_

"Well," Petra murmurs, "I am having the worry… er, having worry. About Ashe."

"Ah… I do recall Dimitri mentioning that he's been skipping class. Are you worried that he's falling behind on his studies?" Edelgard asks her. The way Petra's eyes waver gave away her uncertainty.

"It is not just that. My heart is… I am not knowing of the word. Unsettling?"

"Unsettling…?"

The despondent girl gazes at the door once again. "Thinking that Ashe is hurting gives me hurting."

Realization hits Edelgard when she sees the look in her eyes, the way her pupils quiver in desperation. "Oh, I see. Petra, please wait right here!"

Without explanation, Edelgard dashes off, leaving the confused girl alone. A part of her was hesitant in staying, but she realizes the risk of disobeying an order from the Adrestian heir, so Petra stays put. Every once in a while, she hears movement from behind Ashe's door, prompting her to go up and call him out again. Still no answer. And as Petra was ready to give up for the day, someone else comes up next to her, knocking at the door.

"Ashe. I know you're awake."

"Professor? What are you doing here?" Petra asks him, "Are you not instructing the Golden Dears this month?"

"Yes, I am," Byleth immediately tells her, "Ashe. Come out. Hanneman won't stop pestering me about your absences."

No response yet again. Even though Petra wasn't the one knocking at the door this time, she still sighs. Thoughts of Ashe continuing to isolate himself made her heart clench, as if it was beginning to suffocate itself. Lacking the capability to describe such a feeling only served to hurt her more. It was like her own mind was trying to convince her that she wasn't worth much. And she couldn't even describe how _that_ felt, much less how her heart felt.

"Professor, I… I am not understanding. My heart… My heart is hurting."

Byleth turns to her. His expression may seem stoic, but a part of him was shocked nonetheless. Was she harboring _those_ kinds of feelings for him? But the two of them only met relatively recently. Not just that, they've only ever interacted with one another a handful of times, both in the monastery and in battle. It was illogical.

… _Illogical_. _Maybe that's the answer here._

"Petra, I have instructions for you, and I want you to follow them to the best of your ability."

"Huh?"

Byleth lowers his voice and speaks to her, making sure no one else could hear him. Petra listens intently, nodding with confidence as he gives her his orders. After he finishes, she lifts her fist up to her chest and takes a deep breath. "I am understanding!" she confidently reassures. As she prepares to carry out his orders, another voice calls out to her.

"Petra, halt!"

Edelgard runs up to them both. She stops in front of them, exhausted and out of breath. After composing herself, she reaches out to give Petra a flower. Byelth's eyes widen in surprise. It was another of his experimental forget-me-not flowers, one whose petals express an exceedingly rare shade of blue. "I believe this will be helpful in expressing your feelings," she explains.

Petra takes the flower into her hand. "Thank you, Edelgard. I shall aim to succeeding… no, succeed!"

Petra once again walks up to Ashe's door and knocks. She takes one more deep breath, and calls for him. Byleth and Edelgard take their leave.

"I shall go inform Manuela that she will take a little longer," he tells her. Edelgard tilts her head in confusion.

"Should I not be the one to tell her that?"

"No. You and I need to have an important conference."

"C… Conference?"

Byleth's eyes shift into a piercing glare. Edelgard's spine tingles in fear, she had never seen such an expression on his face before. "T-Teacher? What is the matter?"

"We need to have a talk about what you just did. I am not pleased with the fact that you took one of my myosotis without permission."

_Ah… Dimitri, Claude, I apologize, but it seems you two will have to lead Fódlan in my absence, for today must be the day I meet my end._

* * *

"Ashe," Petra soothingly calls out, "You do not be needing to answer. However, I am asking you to listen. I am not fully understanding of your feelings. But I am having this feeling of hurt because of you. Because you are being like this. It is selfless… no, selfish of me to be saying that. You lost family. But please do not be forgetting… forgetful… do not forget your family here. Prince Dimitri, the Blue Lions. And the professor. And…"

She leans her head against the door once again. "And I."

With fervent hope in her heart, Petra grips the forget-me-not in her hand. "You are another family, Ashe. Please do not forget your family."

…

…

No response.

Petra could feel the tears welling up, and she was confused because of it. Why would she cry? Why was she disdainful of this situation? Why did her heart begin to hurt more now that he-

"Petra…?"

The door slowly opens. Ashe peeks out from inside, his eyes red with tears. That was when the first tear fell down Petra's cheek. However, she was no longer sad, and her heart no longer hurt. With joy, she extends her hand, tenderly holding onto the myosotis that represented her feelings.

"Please do not forget your family, Ashe."

* * *

**_I am truly sorry for how long this has taken. I've essentially taken a hiatus from writing for the past few months, which is unfair to you all. I won't bore you with the details for why, because all that matters is that I'm back and happy to write once more!_**

**_This chapter is certainly different from the rest. For one thing, Byleth is more talkative, but he doesn't fail to connect with his students. And at the end, Byleth isn't the one gifting his students, but allowing Petra to do it for him. I did this because I wanted to just try a new spin on it, nothing more, nothing less!_**

**_Thank you all for your support. I hope to do my best in pleasing you as the fic goes on._**

**__**Want to make new friends to share fanfics with and to enjoy writing with? Check out the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at /9XG3U7a**__**


	5. Hardly Working, Hard Worker, Hard Work

Demonic wolves prowl alongside the craggy edge of the canyon. Their footsteps echo out with each heave of their colossal bodies, propelling dirt and pebbles off into the seemingly bottomless chasm. Their gaping jaws hang low, thick saliva slobbering out from their mouths; they await for the next unfortunate human to stumble on as their prey. High in the sky above them were the masked demonic birds, their ear-piercing shrieks resound out, reverberating across the howling wind. Their wings cut through the air so fiercely that they could very well form a turbulent flow of their own, sweeping away all in their path. These were truly monstrous beasts acting on instinct, that is all they are and ever will be. Mindlessly wandering, mindlessly flying, mindlessly crawling. Mindlessly fighting. Mindlessly living.

Mindlessly.

A lone knight drags himself across the barren dirt of Zanado, panting in exhaustion and fleeing in desperation. The blood spilling from his leg stains the ground, marking a trail behind him. A trail whose scent was simply far too enticing for any beast to pass up.

They were hunting for him.

But hope was not lost. The knight sees smoke in the distance, a welcoming sight to see. It signified to him that the base camp was not far away, and once he had regrouped with the other knights, surely they could-

A high-pitched screech tore through the air, dashing his hopes to a fine dust. The nameless knight looks up above to see a demonic bird circling him, like a crow waiting to dine on its meal. He cries out in horror and hastens his speed as best as he can.

But he was crawling on the floor, unable to get up. It was only a matter of time until he would be eaten.

Another paralyzing screech ruptures his heart, ringing out in his ears.

Memories flash before his eyes. The image of a loving wife, a smiling son.

He finally stops crawling, resigning his fate to the predator above him. He can hear the air blast into a fierce sonic boom. The beast was in descent.

_May the Goddess see fit to forgive me for not being there for them as much as I could have been-_

"Guess I have no choice!" a cheerfully disappointed girl says. The knight looks up to see a pink-haired girl standing near him. She wore the clothes from the monastery, the ones worn only by the students. "Y-You have to run," he feebly says, "the m-monster-"

Suddenly, the girl began to spin in place. She had her arms extended, axe held firmly in hand, and once she had finished building up her momentum, she launched it high into the sky. It swiftly flies, whistling in the air it cuts through, and manages to cleanly sever the beast's right wing off. The knight stammers in utter disbelief at the sight of the demon plummeting to the ground. He's promptly pulled aside by the student so as to not allow the bird to crush him on impact. Once it DOES achieve the desired crash landing she so gleefully awaited for, she reaches her hand out. The axe flies right back to her, and she catches it with ease.

"These ones are a lot easier than the ones from last time," she giggles to herself, "ooooor maybe I'm just that good!"

The shocked knight can do naught but watch on in complete confusion. _How was a student able to perform that kind of-_

Another screech. The beast had not been slain. It tries to bring itself up off the floor, but the injury makes it stumble. "Wh-What are you waiting for?!" the knight cries at the student, "You have to kill it now!"

"Yeaaaaaah… yeaaaaaah…"

She yawns while twirling her pink hair. "Nah, too much work."

"Too-"

_TOO MUCH WORK?!_

"Yeah! Just," she winks while pointing her finger up, "leave it to the cutie up there!"

He tries to look up at the direction she points. There was indeed another figure up in the sky, albeit much smaller than the beast. Most likely a wyvern or pegasus. However, the demonic beast continues to arise even now. Surely there was no time to safely-

The rider jumps off their mount and dives down with extreme speed.

"Woooooo!" the student chants, "Here she comes!"

The moment the demonic beast grasps its footing and manages to stand tall, the rider lands atop of them, driving their spear cleanly through the head of the beast. It pierces the head with such a deadly force driving behind it that the spear runs through the head itself, tearing past the skull and ripping the viscera inside. The beast's body spasms in pain before collapsing again. With a sigh, the rider wipes the sweat and blood off her brow before hopping off. As she examines the beast to confirm its death, her mount, a beautiful white pegasus, lands at her side. She reaches for the side bag clipped onto the pegasus' harness and pulls out a handkerchief. The pink-haired student giggles as she watches her peer wipe away the visceral fluids from the spear's shaft.

"Ten out of ten for coolness!" she chimes. "But four out of ten for the gross-cleanup-post-kill factor."

"Ugh," the blonde students groans, "you know that you could have just taken the kill yourself, right?"

"Yeah!"

"... Well, I give you ten out of ten for clipping the wing at least."

"Aw, you're so sweet."

The crippled knight could hardly believe what he was seeing. These students were engaging in casual banter after utterly decimating a demonic beast like it was _nothing_!

"You two are too much, you know that?" another voice remarks, "But that's what makes you both so adorable."

A third student joins in on them with vials of liquid in hand. "Need some?" she asks them, to which they both deny. The knight wanted to speak up, but he's distracted by a strange feeling in his legs.

Wait, no, not a strange feeling being there, more like a strange feeling had just disappeared. The knight wriggles his legs.

_Huh?_

The pain was gone!

"There!" the third student says with a smile, "Your legs should be healed up. Can you stand? If so, please hurry back to the camp. The other knights are waiting for you there!"

She grabs his arm and pulls him up herself. As he finds his stability, the girl lifts the brim of her hat to take a good look at his face. "My," she whispers to him, "aren't you quite the looker? Would you be interested in a bit of tea with me when we get back?"

"U-Uh, I have a wife," he stammers. The girl's expression displays her disappointment. As she sighs, the pink-haired student attempts to stifle her laughter, and the blonde-haired student pouts while fiddling with the ring she wore.

"Nevermind then," she sighs, "go on then. Ah, and if you will, don't tell them that we're here! Students aren't allowed to be in this area without supervision."

"You know we'll be fine, right Mr. Knight?" the pink-haired girl says with a finger held up to her cheek. The blonde-haired girl, in turn, points the blade of her spear up while locking eyes with him. A disturbing chill runs down his spine. Every nerve in his body sent the same electrical pulse to his thoughts.

_These girls were dangerous!_

Without another word, he stumbles to his feet, bows a full ninety degrees forward, then limps off to the base camp.

"Alright girls," says the pink-haired girl, holding her axe up towards the beasts in the distance, "let's clean 'em up!"

"You two take the ground, I'll sweep up the air," commands the blonde-haired girl as she mounts her pegasus. Both girls, more gung-ho than usual, immediately rush ahead and take their positions. Their remaining comrade sighs once again.

"Be careful, focus on one at a time! We're on our own, and it was difficult enough the last time we were here when— and they're gone. Ah, so difficult to handle."

She adjusts her hat once more and runs ahead to catch up. A smile emerges on their faces as they continue their assault against the demonic beasts in their paths. Heads fly off into the canyon chasm. Blood splatters all over, painting the ground into a hellscape fitting of the nickname "Red Canyon." The decimation of all the beasts unfortunate enough to lock eyes with these girls could garner pity from even their prey. For now, they were the prey to the predators seeking them out.

Just why were these girls unleashing a second Red Canyon Tragedy onto these mindless beasts? Well, naturally…

_It's all to impress our dear professor!_

* * *

"I could not be more disappointed in you three than I am now," Byleth sternly rebukes, anger perfectly clear in his voice. The three desperately try to avoid his gaze, each one awkwardly shifting their sight in different directions. Byleth stands from his desk and approaches them.

"You travelled to Zanado despite knowing full well that students are NOT permitted there without having first been cleared by both your professor and the archbishop. And last I checked, no such permission had been given out during the past month. Ah, actually, it seems you had notified one person! _Alois_. And in his given statement, you had told him that it was simply part of a so-called 'observation project' that I had assigned you, where you would watch the Knights of Seiros in action on the field!" He crosses his arms. "I am sure you understand how my frustration plays into this issue. Now, explain to me the flawed reasoning behind your irresponsibly reckless actions."

Not a single word came out from the three of them. Byleth lets out an exasperated sigh as he rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Dorothea," his voice booms, startling her. "Y-Yes?!" she sputters out.

"Can you tell me why the three of you went to Zanado?"

The girl adjusts the brim of her hat to cover her eyes. "U-Uh, well, we were… searching for something! Yes, we forgot a special something during the time we all followed you to the canyon last week. During the battle against those beasts, we, er, dropped our special important things there. Naturally, we had to get them back! Th-they were so special to us after all!"

That was a blatant lie. The other two girls begin to panic knowing full well that their wonderful friend had just dug their graves.

"Is that so?" he dryly asks. "And it did not cross your mind to notify us about it so that we may have accompanied you?"

"Er… n-no."

"I see," he says through clenched teeth. "Did you manage to find your 'special things'?"

"... No," the young girl dejectedly admits. Byleth, wholly unsatisfied about the situation, now approaches the next girl.

"Hilda," he fiercely addresses, "correct me if I'm wrong, but the beasts must have been rather dangerous, no?"

"O-Oh, yeah! They were soooo scary professor," she whimpers, feigning fear. Hilda looks up at him with a despondent pout. Fake tears well up in her eyes as she holds her hands behind her back. "Every second out there made me feel like I was gambling with my life! Can you believe how frightening it was for-"

"_So you prefer to slack off on your classwork and feign illness during missions, yet you would rather lay your life on the line out there for some trinkets?_"

His words tear through her heart—no, no, that hardly captured the feeling. It was almost as if her heart had just been torn out from her very chest and tossed onto the ground before being stepped on with spiked boots. Hilda's eyes turn dull as her bubbly spirit visibly breaks. She can't even muster up the words to respond to him. Still feeling as unsatisfied as when he started, Byleth now turns to the last offender.

"Ingrid. I am most disappointed in _you._"

The austere tone in each spoken word felt worse than any injury she had endured through past battles.

"I expected you to be the one with a sense of responsibility. Can you explain to me why you completely disregarded monastery procedure and risked your lives?"

Ingrid couldn't even bring up the courage to say anything. She was afraid that her professor would only become more furious at another blatant lie.

Unfortunately, her silence manages to anger Byleth all the more.

"For the rest of the month, you three are now delegated to cleaning the stables after class everyday. Do I make myself clear?"

"E-Everyday?!" Hilda scoffs in disbelief, "Professor, you can't _possibly_ expect us to-"

"_Do I make myself clear?_"

Realizing that they can only compound the gravity of his anger at this point, they reluctantly agree. Byleth sits back down at his desk without another word. He doesn't even bother to dismiss the girls himself and simply awaits for them to leave on their own. The crestfallen trio eventually pick up on this and leave the classroom, their heads hung low and their eyes drained of their usual spunk. Students in the area murmur to each other as they witness the three shattered girls. Those who were concerned would try to ask what was troubling them, however, none of them could get a cohesive answer.

Underneath the awning of the classrooms were the three house leaders themselves. They give each other a passing glance before dispersing to console their classmates.

* * *

Edelgard softly knocks on the door. "Dorothea? It's me. May I come in?"

Silence. Edelgard wonders, _did she not return to her room?_

"Excuse me, but I'm going to let myself in," she declares while turning the doorknob. When she enters, she finds her classmate sprawled out on the floor, unmoving, only barely breathing. Had Edelgard not known better, she would have thought the girl had somehow died. The heir approaches her, careful not to make too much noise. Dorothea stares at her blankly, not even bothering to properly turn her head and face her.

"Hello, Edelgard," she dryly greets. "How fortunate I must be to be visited by you unannounced. Truly a miracle for a commoner such as I."

_Oh it's worse than I imagined,_ Edelgard thinks to herself, _the musical swing in her cadence has disappeared completely!_

Doubt and hesitation sprout within her heart. Was she equipped to console her friend? She knows that it would be expected of a House Leader to care for their peers in personal matters, however, Edelgard knew very little when it came to these kinds of matters. The responsible part of her would much rather scold the gloomy girl in front of her for her actions. Every student knew that Zanado was dangerous, hence the strict guidelines for requesting travel there. Yet despite that, Dorothea still snuck her way there alongside two other students. Edelgard wanted to reprimand her for it, because… because...

_What if Dorothea had died out there?_

Adrestia's mighty heir shakes her head to clear her mind. Now wasn't the time to be deterred by those kinds of thoughts.

"Please, all I want to know is why you traveled there."

A few seconds of silence pass as Edelgard's anticipation grows all the more. Dorothea sighs and sits herself up. She shifts her legs, crossing them as she straightens her back.

"Do you happen to recall a few weeks prior to today—"

* * *

"—when we all followed the professor to Zanado?" Hilda asks while sipping her tea.

Claude nods his head, how could he forget? It was a day full of surprises for him. Byleth had suddenly set out to Zanado without informing anyone except for Rhea, which was a surprise of its own. Why was he able to easily gain approval? And why was he going there in the first place on his own? When Dimitri had noticed their dear teacher going out alone, he notified both Claude and Edelgard. Together, the three of them led a group comprised of students from all three houses to follow Byleth discreetly, another surprising turn of events that Claude could only dream of happening. Once there, their teacher had been surrounded by demonic beasts on all sides, and the students had to save him. Yet, most surprising of all, when they had successfully protected their teacher and defeated all the demonic beasts, Byleth didn't give them a proper explanation for why he was there. He just said that "he felt like it."

_Well, perhaps that last part isn't as surprising as it seems, knowing what kind of person Byleth is,_ Claude admits to himself.

"Ever since we came back I always wondered why he went there," Hilda casually explains, "that's really it."

"Whoa, whoa, no it's not," Claude argues, "you're not the type of person who would exert effort for an effortless reason like that. What's your deal?"

"First of all, I am offended and appalled that you would accuse _me_ of needing a reason to do something!"

"Hilda."

"... Okay fine, you got me!"

Hilda slumps over the table while wailing, the sheer trill of her voice astonishing all those outside. Claude awkwardly dismisses them all with a wave of his hand before returning his attention to her. The dejected girl looks up at him with a pout.

"Remember how the professor—"

* * *

"—gabe ush gifsh?"

Dimitri coughs. "Ingrid, please swallow your food. We're eating in the mess hall, people can see you."

She gulps down the chunk of meat in her mouth before continuing. "Remember how the professor gave us gifts? The ones made from those flowers of his?"

"Ah, yes," he grins while thinking of his pendant, "I recall him saying something to that extent. Dorothea was gifted a facial moisturizer, Hilda was gifted an accessory, and you were gifted a bookmark, no?"

Ingrid nods while taking another bite of her steak. As she tepidly chews, Dimitri thinks about how long ago it's been since he had received his gift, as well as how many gifts Byleth had given to other students. He had certainly given away quite a lot to many of them, and there's no doubt in the prince's mind that Byleth had more to give. What's more, it's clear that all his gifts had meaning put into them, barring any elaborative or marvelous aspect to them. Dimitri noticed the way Felix stares at that unopened gift in his room. He's seen the pure glee on Annette's face whenever she has the opportunity to bring out that special ink set of hers. On the occasion he and Ashe visit the greenhouse, Dimitri sees that goofy smile on his friend's face when passing the forget-me-not flowers.

"What do the gifts have to do with this situation?"

"Well…"

Ingrid nervously shuffles in her seat as she sets her utensils down. After a moment of hesitation, she reaches into the satchel next to her seat and pulls out a worn out bookmark. It's blue surfaces were riddled with scratches and gashes, and it was bent far out of shape. Dimitri couldn't begin to imagine how the poor trinket had gotten so damaged. How in the world could a bookmark of all things become ruined in this manner?

_Wait…_

"Is that not the bookmark our professor gifted you?!" he nearly cries out. Ingrid's eyes shimmer as she nods.

"I-I've been carrying it with me ever since he gave it to me, s-so it's been through a lot during battles…"

Dimitri sighs in disbelief while she whimpers. After regaining his composure, the prince asks, "What does this have to do with going to Zanado?"

"Well, Hilda's accessory also broke, and Dorothea ran out of her moisturizer. So the three of us decided to go to Zanado to go and..." she mumbles while twiddling her fingers. Dimitri cocks his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "And?" he prompts.

"And… we wanted to see if we so that he could fix our gifts and refill Dorothea's moisturizer," she sheepishly admits as a blush forms on her cheeks. Dimitri stares at her blankly, his mind slowly processing her words.

"... I'm starting to understand why the professor was so disappointed in you," he says aloud. His harsh words make the girl distraught, causing her to begin scarfing down her food in an attempt to eat away the shame.

_Even still…_

"If that was your reasoning, why did all three of you lie? I could tell that Dorothea instigated that on her own, but you could have told the professor the truth."

Ingrid meekly looks up from her food. "Are you kidding me? He would have been much more furious if he knew the reason!"

Dimitri's brow furrows. "I doubt that. Sure, your reason may be unsatisfactory, childish and irresponsible. But perhaps the professor would have been more lenient had he known your… 'honest intentions'. After all, despite his rather aloof nature, he is at heart our professor."

The prince grasps the pendant around his neck and smiles. "I am sure that a part of him is simply—"

* * *

_Worried_.

Byleth carefully wipes away the blood splatters across the Sword of the Creator. The blade's jagged edges tear away at the rag little by little, eventually ruining it completely. He sighs while tossing it into the wastebin, piled amongst the other torn-up rags.

_Worried._

He stands from his bed and holds the sword up in front of him, reflecting on his thoughts and his feelings. A muddled face mirroring itself back against the shoddy polishing makes his mind throb.

The stoic expression that his students see… was that truly all he could muster?

Byleth scoffs as he stashes the weapon away.

His anger against his dear students from earlier had completely subsided, much sooner than he expected. And once it did, he was overwhelmed with shame. Shame that he allowed his anger to take precedence over his concern.

That had never happened before.

_Worried._

No, he wasn't just "worried." He was anxious. Scared.

It hadn't been that long since the last fiasco at Zanado had happened. That day, when he heard the shrieks of his students battling against the beasts, he experienced an emotion unlike anything else he had felt before. What if they had been surrounded as well? What if they had faced a beast that they couldn't handle? What if they were against overwhelming numbers? What if their weapons broke, or their battalions were forced to retreat? Could the students themselves have been able to retreat? Had he allowed himself to be swept away by it, he surely would not have survived the battle. A lot of Divine Pulses had been exhausted that day. He considers himself lucky to have brought everyone back alive, despite their claims that _they_ were the ones who had saved him.

When Byleth had heard from Alois about Dorothea, Hilda and Ingrid going to Zanado alone for "some project" he assigned them, he nearly lost control of himself. Had Jeralt not been there to keep his senses in check, perhaps he would have taken drastic measures to go after them. In fact, had they not ended up returning today, he would most definitely have ignored Rhea's insistence on him waiting for them and simply gone after them himself.

_Worried._

The candle on his desk softly flickers, until the flame is suddenly extinguished. The light filling up the room disappears as a result, replaced by the cold darkness of the night. Byleth looks out through the window. He sees the moon shining down from high in the sky, yet the luminescent stars which accompanied it every night were missing. Was it simply that late at night? Or is it still too early for the stars to be visible?

… _I need to go and apologize to them. Losing my temper wasn't what they deserved. They-_

A knock at the door catches his attention. "Professor? It's me, Ingrid. I came here to apologize, for myself and on behalf of Dorothea and Hilda."

He freezes up, unable to properly form a response. The hesitation built up from his earlier thoughts felt like it gated his mind now.

"We're sorry. We know that we broke the rules, that we shouldn't have gone to Zanado alone. We just wanted to…"

Ingrid sighs. "Our reason was selfish and desperate. Simply put, we wanted to impress you enough that you'd gift us once again for our efforts."

The silence following her words confuse him. That was it? _That _was the reason they disobeyed monastery guidelines and endangered himself? For his gifts?

A part of him felt happy that they would go to such lengths for such a reason. However, the rest of him recognizes how illogical that was. All they had to do was ask Byleth for whatever they wanted. He enjoyed—

_The stoic expression that his students see… was that truly all he could muster?_

… She wouldn't have known that he enjoyed making his students those gifts. How could she? How could anyone know his feelings when he lacked the capability to even display them? It was only through those gifts, through the flowers that he could convey anything. And even then, it wasn't enough.

Worst of all, the one feeling she could discern from him was his anger.

"I'll be on my way to the stables now, Dorothea and Hilda will get mad if I don't join them soon. Well… goodnight—"

The door abruptly swings open, catching Ingrid by surprise. And before she can say anything, Byleth reaches out to her with a bookmark in hand. Ingrid's eyes sparkle when she notices that adorable patchwork, the very same style that adorned her tarnished one.

"I figured that eventually the old bookmark would become ruined. After all it's constructed from compressed flower materials. Here is a proper bookmark, one that's simply decorated with the same motif," he explains to her. She takes it in hand, unable to form a proper response.

"I presume that Hilda's hair clip broke, and that Dorothea needs a refill for her moisturizer. Those can be easily addressed. But next time, I want the three of you to tell me instead of doing something so selfish and reckless. Understood?"

"Y-Yes!" she says. Ingrid makes her way to the stables with a spring in her step as Byleth closes the door once again.

Whether or not his ability to convey emotions was sufficient no longer matters. To the Ashen Demon, all that matters is caring for his students as best as he can.

* * *

**I apologize for how late this is. It's nearly the end of the current semester, and honestly it's been difficult to keep up. I'm finding my foothold again though, so hopefully I won't take more than another month to write the next part!**

_**Want to make new friends to share fanfics with and to enjoy writing with? Check out the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at /9XG3U7a**_


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